1986 Houston Astros season

1986 Houston Astros
1986 NL West Champions
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record 96–66 (.593)
Divisional place 1st
Other information
Owner(s) John McMullen
General manager(s) Dick Wagner
Manager(s) Hal Lanier
Local television KTXH
HSE
Local radio KTRH
(Gene Elston, Milo Hamilton, Larry Dierker, Jerry Trupiano, Bill Worrell)
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The Houston Astros' 1986 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the National League West, which they did for their third time in seven seasons.

Offseason

Regular season

  • Kevin Bass had a twenty-game hit streak during the season.
  • Dave Smith set a club record with 33 saves in one season.
  • September 24, 1986: Jim Deshaies set a record for the most strikeouts to start a game. Deshaies started the game with 8 strikeouts versus the Los Angeles Dodgers
  • September 25, 1986: Mike Scott threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants to help the Astros win the National League West. The final score was 2-0 and Scott struck out 13 Giants batters.

Scott was the first pitcher in the National League and the second overall to throw a no-hitter to clinch a pennant. The first was New York Yankees pitcher Allie Reynolds, who accomplished the feat on September 18, 1951.[2]

Opening Day starters

All-Star Game

The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 15, 1986, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the home of the Astros. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 3-2.

Season standings

NL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Houston Astros 9666 0.593 — 52–29 44–37
Cincinnati Reds 8676 0.531 10 43–38 43–38
San Francisco Giants 8379 0.512 13 46–35 37–44
San Diego Padres 7488 0.457 22 43–38 31–50
Los Angeles Dodgers 7389 0.451 23 46–35 27–54
Atlanta Braves 7289 0.447 23½ 41–40 31–49

Record vs. opponents

1986 National League Records

Sources:
Team ATL CHC CIN HOU LAD MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL
Atlanta —9–36–125–1310–84–74–84–85–712–67–116–6
Chicago 3–9—5–74–86–68–106–129–87–116–66–610–7
Cincinnati 12–67–5—4–1410–87–54–87–510–29–99–97–5
Houston 13–58–414–4—10–88–45–76–66–610–89–97–5
Los Angeles 8–106–68–108–10—5–73–95–78–46–128–108–4
Montreal 7–410–85–74–85–7—8–108–1011–74–85–79–9
New York 8–412–68–47–59–310–8—8–1017–110–27–512–6
Philadelphia 8-48–95–76–67–510–810–8—11–76–69–36–12
Pittsburgh 7–511–72–106–64–87–111–177–11—8–44–87–11
San Diego 6–126–69–98–1012–68–42–106–64–8—8–105–7
San Francisco 11–76–69–99–910–87–55–73–98–410–8—5–7
St. Louis 6–67–105–75–74–89–96–1212–611–77–57–5—

Notable transactions

  • June 2, 1986: 1986 Major League Baseball draft
    • Ryan Bowen was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round.[3]
    • Karl Rhodes was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round. Player signed June 10, 1986.[4]
    • Trenidad Hubbard was drafted by the Astros in the 12th round of the 1986 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 1986.[5]
    • Ed Whited was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 18th round of the 1986 amateur draft. [6]
    • Eric Anthony was drafted by the Astros in the 34th round. Player signed June 7, 1986.[7]
  • June 30, 1986: Matt Keough was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[8]

Roster

1986 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

1986 Game Log
Legend:           = Win           = Loss           = Postponement
Bold = Astros team member

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
CAlan Ashby12031581.257738
1BGlenn Davis158574152.26531101
2BBill Doran145550152.276637
SSCraig Reynolds11431378.249641
3BDenny Walling130382119.3121358
LFJosé Cruz141479133.2781072
CFBilly Hatcher127419108.258636
RFKevin Bass157591184.3112079

Other batters

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Phil Garner10731383.265941
Dickie Thon10627869.248321
Terry Puhl8117242.244314
Mark Bailey5715327.176415
Jim Pankovits7011332.28317
Davey Lopes379823.235113
Tony Walker849020.222210
John Mizerock448115.18516
Ty Gainey265015.30016
Bert Peña15296.20702
Dan Driessen17247.29213
Eric Bullock6211.04801
Robbie Wine9123.25000
Louie Meadows662.33300

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Bob Knepper4025817123.14143
Mike Scott37275.118102.22306
Nolan Ryan301781283.34194
Jim Deshaies261441253.25128
Mark Knudson942.2154.2220

Other pitchers

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Danny Darwin1254.1522.3240
Mike Madden1339.2124.0830
Matt Keough1035323.0925
Manny Hernández927.2233.909

Relief pitchers

Player G IP W L SV ERA SO
Dave Smith545647332.7346
Charlie Kerfeld6193.211272.5977
Aurelio López45783373.4644
Larry Andersen3864.22112.7833
Frank DiPino4140.11333.5727
Julio Solano16323107.5921
Jeff Calhoun2026.21003.7114
Tom Funk88.10006.482
Rafael Montalvo110009.000

National League Championship Series

Game 1

October 8 (Astrodome, Houston, Texas)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 000 000 000 050
Houston 010 000 00X 171
WP: Mike Scott (1-0)  LP: Dwight Gooden (0-1)
HR: NYM – None.; HOU – Glenn Davis (1)

Game 2

October 9 (Astrodome, Houston, Texas)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York 000 230 000 5100
Houston 000 000 100 1102
WP: Bob Ojeda (1-0)  LP: Nolan Ryan (0-1)
HR: NYM – None.; HOU – None.

Game 3

October 11 (Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston 220 000 100 581
New York 000 004 002 6101
WP: Jesse Orosco (1-0)  LP: Dave Smith (0-1)
HR: HOU – Bill Doran (1); NYM – Darryl Strawberry (1), Lenny Dykstra (1)

Game 4

October 12 (Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston 020 010 000 341
New York 000 000 010 130
WP: Mike Scott (2-0)  LP: Sid Fernandez (0-1)
HR: HOU – Alan Ashby (1), Dickie Thon (1); NYM – None.

Game 5

October 14 (Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
Houston 000 010 000 000 191
New York 000 010 000 001 240
WP: Jesse Orosco (2-0)  LP: Charlie Kerfeld (0-1)
HRs: HOU – None. NYM – Darryl Strawberry (2)

Game 6

October 15 (Astrodome, Houston, Texas)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 R H E
New York 000 000 003 000 0103 7110
Houston 300 000 000 000 0102 6111
WP: Jesse Orosco (3-0)  LP: Aurelio López (0-1)
HRs: NYM – None. HOU – Billy Hatcher (1)

Game 6 was one for the ages, in more ways than one. The game went 16 innings with the Mets coming out on top 7-6. It was the highest scoring game of the series; in fact, the 16th inning alone featured more runs than three of the previous five games had in their entirety.

The Astrodome hosted what some consider to be one of the greatest games of all time that October and it will forever be remembered.

The big story of Game 6 was that it was most nearly a must-win for both teams. The Astros obviously had to have it because they were facing elimination. Even though they were up 3-2 in the series, the Mets regarded it as a must-win because they were scheduled to face Mike Scott again in Game 7. Scott had given up a grand total of 1 run in his first two starts of the series, and had dominated the Mets so completely that even the most optimistic Mets fans knew their chances of beating him in a potential Game 7 were small. The end result was one of the greatest Game 6 scenarios ever seen.

The Astros broke through first, and for a low scoring series like this, they broke through big, scoring three runs off a possibly tired Bob Ojeda in the bottom of the first. He settled down after that, however, and the Astros wouldn't score again for the next 12 innings. Meanwhile, Astros starter Bob Knepper was brilliant from the very first pitch, and the game headed to the 9th still 3-0.

Just when it looked like the Mets would have to face the mighty Scott, however, their bats suddenly came to life. After pitching almost perfectly for the first eight innings, Knepper clearly tired in the 9th. He allowed three hits and recorded only one out, and left with the Astros clinging to a 3-2 lead. The decision by Lanier not to bring in Smith to start the inning was talked about for years to come. Smith was their closer, but had blown a save earlier in the series. When Smith finally did appear, he was ineffective, walking two batters to load the bases and then allowing the tying run to score on a sacrifice fly by Ray Knight. In a matter of minutes, the previously raucous crowd of 45,718 had been almost completely silenced and extra innings had soon begun.

In the 14th, the Mets made their first bid to win. After Gary Carter opened with a single, a walk to Darryl Strawberry put two runners on with nobody out. After Knight forced Carter at third, Wally Backman drove a single to right. When Kevin Bass' throw to the plate sailed high over Alan Ashby's head to the screen, Strawberry scored. It looked like the end for the Astros, as Orosco came in to close them down.

With one out in the bottom of the 14th and the Houston fans with their heads in their hands, Billy Hatcher shocked everyone with a line drive home run off the left field foul pole. It was the first earned run allowed by the Mets bullpen in the entire series. Hatcher went 3 for 7 in the game, and his homer meant the Astros would be kept alive for at least one more inning. Both teams failed to score in the 15th, and the game went to the 16th inning, the most innings in playoff history at that time.

The 16th inning would be the deciding factor, and it was not an easy 16th for either pitching staff. The Mets appeared to take control of the game once again, this time coming up with 3 runs in the top half of the inning. The rally began with Strawberry receiving a gift double when Billy Hatcher and Bill Doran misplayed his towering fly ball with one out. When Knight followed with a single to right, a poor throw to the plate by Kevin Bass allowed the tiebreaking run to score, just as it had in the 14th. A walk, two wild pitches, and a single by Lenny Dykstra brought in two more runs, putting the Mets up 7-4. This sent some of the Houston faithful for the exits; those who stayed, however, almost witnessed the unthinkable.

Orosco struck out Craig Reynolds to open the inning, but a walk and two singles later, Houston had a run in and the tying run on base. Orosco induced Denny Walling to hit into a force play at second for the second out, but Glenn Davis singled home another run, bringing the Astros within a run. People everywhere were quiet as they watched Orosco face right fielder Kevin Bass with two outs and the tying run on second, and the winning run on first.

It was all up to Bass to drive in a run and tie the game. Orosco threw Bass six straight sliders; when Bass swung and missed the last of them, the epic series was over. Orosco was awarded the victory, marking the first time in postseason history a reliever won three games in a series. It would be a long winter for the Astros, but for the Mets, an even bigger trial awaited them. After taking two days off to recover from the exhausting series against Houston, the Mets began a legendary World Series against the Boston Red Sox, a series in which they would pull off one of the greatest comebacks of all time.

The Mets had won the series with a .189 batting average, the lowest average ever recorded by a winning team in a postseason series. Their pitching had been the key.

Awards and honors

  • Kevin Bass – National League Player of the Month, June
  • Mike Scott – National League Leader ERA Champion (2.22)
  • Mike Scott – National League Leader in Innings Pitched (275)
  • Mike Scott – National League Leader in Shutouts (5)
  • Mike Scott – National League Leader in Strikeouts (306)
  • Mike Scott – NLCS Most Valuable Player
  • Mike Scott – The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year, National League
  • Mike Scott – Cy Young Award, National League
  • Hal Lanier – National League Manager of the Year
  • Hal Lanier, Associated Press Manager of the Year

All-Star Game

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Tucson Toros Pacific Coast League Carlos Alfonso
AA Columbus Astros Southern League Dave Cripe, Chuck Taylor and Gary Tuck
A Osceola Astros Florida State League Tom Weidenbauer
A Asheville Tourists South Atlantic League Ken Bolek
A-Short Season Auburn Astros New York–Penn League Keith Bodie
Rookie GCL Astros Gulf Coast League Julio Linares

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Columbus

References

  1. ↑ Mike Richardt at Baseball-Reference
  2. ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.142, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
  3. ↑ Ryan Bowen at Baseball-Reference
  4. ↑ Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes at Baseball-Reference
  5. ↑ https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hubbatr01.shtml
  6. ↑ "Ed Whited: Career Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  7. ↑ Eric Anthony at Baseball-Reference
  8. ↑ Matt Keough at Baseball-Reference
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